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British synth-pop outfit Hurts recently played a brief set at the Dot to Dot Festival, a new concert series that is sponsored by Fred Perry and aims to highlight "the pioneering spirit" and "innovation" of "the next generation of pop trailblazers" in the U.K.

Frequent readers of ArjanWrites.com know that with Hurts, Dot to Dot is right on the money when its comes to spotlighting exciting new British talent. The sleek and stylish pop noir of Hurts is retro in its origin, yet forward thinking in its execution. But most of all, Hurts presents powerful songwriting that is masterfully packaged and has a lasting beauty. Watch the group's performance of "Wonderful Live" after the break.

Hurts continues their trek around the world to stir crowds with their sleek and stark synth pop. This weekend, the impeccably-styled Manchester duo of Theo Hutchcraft and Adam Anderson played a headlining gig at Rock Am Ring, one of Germany's largest summer music festivals. 

This performance must have been one of Hurts' biggest crowds to date with thousands and thousands of cheering music lovers completely enthralled by the duo's doomy gloomy pop sound that comes with a glossy, and yes, uplifting lining. (Watch my video interview with Hurts to learn a little more about the group.)

Check out some videos of their Rock Am Ring performance that aired live on German TV, including "Stay," "Wonderful Live" and their gorgeous, orchestral cover of Kylie Minogue's "Confide In Me." It's fantastic material to watch and it makes me eager to see them back in the U.S. soon. That one performance at Coachella was simply not enough. Watch the videos after the break.

Hurts' Theo Hutchcaft and Adam Anderson once said in an interview that they like "to go for a mixture of grandeur and instant reaction" while paying attention to both "sonics and atmosphere." Those are exactly all of the vital ingredients that make up the video for their new single "Sunday." Set off by car crash, the video is an intricate piece of cinematograhpy that is filled with metaphores that neats fits the song's story about love, loss and loneliness. What do you think about Hurts' new video?

After touring across Eastern Europe for the past few weeks, Hurts' Theo Hutchcraft and Adam Anderson were back in the U.K. this weekend to perform their new single "Sunday" on The Graham Norton Show (watch it on YouTube). Fantastic, flawless performance by a brilliant pop act that more people need to hear about. Their upcoming trip to the States will hopefully help them to gain more exposure. The synth-pop outfit is heading to the U.S. to play Coachella and with a bit of luck they will book a few additional gigs as well. (If you missed my video interview with Hurts earlier, make sure to watch it here. Loads of fun.)

Lucky Hurts fans in the U.K. can grab the duo's new Holiday single today for free at the British iTunes store. Everyone else can listen, enjoy and grab this special Christmas treat in the player below. It's an excellent, joyous tune that is dominated by a twinkling piano line, yearning lyrics that fit the season and a grand,festive chorus that comes with just the right amount of sleighbells. This one will surely put you in the mood for holidays.